


Soft mornings

by Starfate



Series: Healing hearts [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Feels, Clint Barton's Farm, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Healing, Natasha Romanov Needs a Hug, Natasha Romanov survived, Natasha deserved better, Natasha survives, Post End-game, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Retirement, finding happiness, low key fix it fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23664118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfate/pseuds/Starfate
Summary: Clint and Natasha have made it through the war with Thanos. All the old avangers have scattered across the winds and Clint decided to retire one final time, but this time together with Natasha.This will be a series of small blurbs out of Natashas life, as she finds real peace and happiness. Healing is hard and it goes slowly.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov
Series: Healing hearts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703920
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Soft mornings

**Author's Note:**

> Natasha deserved better, so I wrote this.

That morning she woke up well rested, for the first time in as long as she could remember. She stayed under the toasty covers for a little while, just reveling in the feeling of lazyness. But a lifetime of discipline is not easily thrown off and she slid out from under the covers around six. Early for most, very late for her.

She wandered into the living room and opened the curtains. The soft light of morning, the sun had yet to rise above the trees, greeted her. There was a thin sheet of mist drifting above the fields. The chilly air from the open window kissed her skin and left goosebumps in their wake.

A sudden noise behind her made her startle, but she supressed the urge to twist around and identify the possible threat.

Clint shuffled into her view, his hair a mess and the wrinkles of his pillow pressed into his cheek. He came to stand next to her and draped a blanket over both their shoulders.

He held out his hand for her to hold and she wove her fingers betweens his.

They stood in silence and watched as the sun started its slow crawl across the sky. Little tufts of soft pink clouds faded into a hazy white.

The warm sunlight hit their faces and Natasha let out a content sigh as she closed her eyes and angled her face to the sun.

'Im going to make us some tea.' Clint mumbled and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand before letting go.

Natasha just hummed and wrapped herself further into the blanket.

Soon the comforting sounds of Clint puttering about their tiny kitchen and the gentle warmth of the morning sun, lulled her almost back to sleep.

The kettle wistled and Natasha moved from her spot by the window to the kitchentable. Clint put down a steaming mug of tea in front of her and went in search of the sugar pot. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him heap two big spoons of sugar into his cup. His big sweet tooth never failed to amuse her.

He looked up just in time to see the tail end of that amusement and a broad smile spread across his face.

War was over and they were ready to lay it to rest.


	2. Soft bellies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was first a seperate work in the "healing heart" series, but I suddenly realised that made no sense. Thus, I deleted that fic and put it as a second chapter here.

Natasha’s wardrobe had changed quite a bit over the last year. No skintight uniforms or overly revealing dresses, but comfortable and functional everyday wear.

That was probably why it took her quite some time notice the changes her body had undergone.

One morning, when she had showered after her morning work-out, she walked past the mirror in her underwear and the sight of her stomach made her stop.

In the past, her stomach had been completely flat except for the slight indents of her six-pack. That six-pack was not visible anymore. She tentatively poked her belly, the same rock-hard muscles were still there... just covered.

She poked the soft layer again, it felt foreign but also… safe? If that makes any sense.

'What are you doing?' The amused voice of Clint made her look up.

'I got some fat now!' She poked her stomach again to illustrate.

'Congrats.' Clint gave her a peck on the cheek.

'Thanks.'

'Should I get some cake to celebrate tonight?'

'That sounds like a wonderful idea.'

'Then I will do the groceries today instead of tomorrow.' He pressed a kiss on the top of her head as he walked past and went to take a shower himself.

She poked her stomach for a final time before getting dressed, a small smile tugging on her lips.

Her body was finally catching up to the fact that the fighting was over. She was no longer surviving, she was living.


	3. Soft laughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the idea of this chapter for a long time, but I just can't get it coherent, so enjoy the rambly mess it became

The central heating had broken down and all rooms except one was extremely cold. The living room, with its hearth, was the only place you could comfortably be without several blankets draped around you. Which was why all matrasses were currently laying there.

'It feels a bit like a sleepover, doesn't it?' Clint grinned.

'It does, maybe we should invite Tony over? I remember him saying something about sleepovers after the first New York invasion.' Natasha smiled as she sat down next to Clint.

'If we invite him over, he will want to immediately fix the heating.' Clint warned as he wrapped his arm around her.

'We can tell him he can fix it in the morning if he really wants to.' Natasha yawned and let her head rest against Clint's shoulder.

'Shall I give him a call then?' He asked. Natascha nodded as an answer, her eyes already drooping shut.

She got jostled a bit as Clint wrestled his phone out of his pocket, and she buried her face more solidly into his neck in protest.

Clint softly chuckled as he brought up one hand to stroke her hair, while with the other he searched for Tony in his contacts.

'Hey Tony, what are you doing right now?' He asked when the phone was picket up before the second ring.

The answer was too soft for Natascha to hear, but Clints chest rumbled with his laughter.

'Perfect, care to come over Natascha's and my place? She said that you mentioned something along the lines of a sleepover once, and we're sleeping in the living room as the heater broke.'

More mumbling.

'Great idea, will you call them?' A small pause, '-Awesome, see you in an hour.'

'Hmm?' Natascha asked.

'He is in, and he suggested to invite Bruce and Steve as well. I didn't think you would mind, so I said yes.' Clint explained, laying down his phone to wrap his other arm around her as well.

'The whole old gang, back together,' Natascha smiled.

'Avengers, assemble,' Clint said in a deep gruff voice, trying to imitate Steve. This earned him a chuckle from Natascha.

'We will need more matrasses and blankets though. We have a spare one from the guest room, and someone can sleep on the couch, but if everyone can come,' she frowned.

'Stark is already taking care of it. He is also bringing snacks and a bad movie.'

'Nice, shall we raid the wine cellar then?'

'Excellent idea, stay right here,' Clint disentangled himself from Natasha.

'Here, take these blankets,' she handed him the thickest ones.

'Thanks.' A salute and he was gone.

Nat turned to the fireplace with a shiver, laying another big piece of wood on the pile.

Tony and Bruce arrived together. Tony was smiling brightly, wearing a slightly too small ironman pyjama. He was followed by an amused looking Bruce, sporting a hulk pyjama.

'Hello! I have come baring gifts!' Tony announced when Clint opened the door.

'The pyjamas better be warm,' Clint sighed, already resigned to wearing the themed pyjamas.

'Very,' Tony assured with a clap on the archers shoulder, as he pushed past him and into the house. 'Natascha, how are you!'

'Hello Clint,' Bruce greeted, he was loaded down by two heavy shoppers.

'Let me help you with those,' Clint offered.

'Thank you, I'll have to get our sleeping gear out of the trunk as well, Tony has already forgotten about that. He was so excited,' Bruce smiled with an exasperated fondness.

Steve arrived an hour later, when a few wine bottles had already been emptied. 

He was looking like he hadn't had a decent night sleep in weeks, but also happier than he had been when he was still weighted down by his duties.

'Hey there Captain, how's university?' Tony grinned upon seeing him.

'Hi Tony,' Steve crashed in the pile of pillows that were laid down in front of the hearth.

'Here,' Clint handed him a big glass of wine.

Steve took it gratefully, even though it would do anything to get the enhanced human drunk.

'I might have underestimated the amount of work combining two studies would be,' he admitted with a sigh. 'The veteran counselling is going fine, but art school-' he combed a weary hand through his slightly shaggy hair, '-it's brutal.'

Bruce patted him on the shoulder, 'I know how you feel.'

'How many PhD's did you have again? How did you survive?' Steve asked, taking the blanket Nat gave him and cocooning himself.

'Coffee.'

'Ah.'

'But you're still enjoying it?' Clint asked after a short pause, in which everyone had been staring at the flames of the hearth.

'Immensely,' Steve smiled.

'It's kind of funny,' Nat said, 'how you and Sam have basically switched jobs.'

'Well, he gave me the idea to do counselling the first place. I realised during the blib, that this was another way I could help people, away from the actual battlefield.'

And it was a way he could help Bucky, the others had realised when Steve had announced his "retirement" plans the first time. Bucky and Sam were still out there, fighting the good fight, and Steve couldn't fully abandon them to it, even if he was done with fighting the big battles. 

'Sooo, have you met a nice gal at Uni yet?' Tony asked teasingly.

He got a pillow to his face as an answer, and a lot of laughter as a reward.

They didn't go to sleep until morning. It had been a while since they had all been together and there was too much to talk about. Once Tony had gotten drunk, he had shown everybody all the baby photos of Morgan, before bursting out in tears about how much he loved her. The others were too touched to even make fun of him for it. Bruce had gone on a ramble about his latest promising research, and somehow Natascha had been the only one that had been able to follow it.

Clint was the last one awake and tucked everybody in before joining them.

The winter was almost as cold this year as they had been in Russia. But, surrounded by the warm laughter of her friends, Natascha discovered that she could bare it a lot better.


End file.
